"The Type 022 is a relatively short-ranged (500 nm) heavily-armed stealthy catamaran that is thought to be utilized for swarming approaching-warships and attacking from multiple axes with their 8 YJ-83 missiles."

I think the mockups are to familiarize the carrier crew with the expected fighter or helicopter and to improve training. For example, if the mockups have functional wheels then the maintenance crew can practice moving them below deck. Also, you can perform other training with mockups, such as fire suppression drills.

You can run safety drills with mockups. For example, don't walk in front of a jet engine or keep your head down near a helicopter with spinning blades.

There are two important issues regarding China's $110 billion defense budget for 2012.

Capability - Firstly, China's neighbors have recognized that China possesses the conventional military capability to flatten them (see second post below by Russian military experts and third post from an Indian perspective).

Intent - Secondly, for the last thirty years, China has shown no intent to use its military to settle disputes. China has displayed a preference for discussion or negotiation, but its cannons have remained silent. China's choice of peace should allow her neighbors to sleep better at night.

Soldiers of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) march in front of the Great Hall of the People, the venue of the National People's Congress or parliament, in Beijing March 2, 2012. China is likely to unveil its military spending for 2012 on the weekend, flagging the direction that Beijing will take after President Barack Obama launched a new ''pivot'' to reinforce U.S. influence across Asia. (Credit: Reuters/Jason Lee)

(Reuters) - China will boost military spending by 11.2 percent this year, the government said on Sunday, unveiling Beijing's first defense budget since President Barack Obama launched a "pivot" to reinforce U.S. influence across the Asia-Pacific.

The rise was announced by Li Zhaoxing, the spokesman for China's parliament, and will bring official spending on the People's Liberation Army to 670.2 billion yuan ($110 billion) for 2012, after a 12.7 percent increase last year and a nearly unbroken string of double-digit rises across over two decades.

"China is committed to the path of peaceful development and follows a defensive national defense policy," Li told a news conference ahead of the annual session of the National People's Congress, the Communist Party-controlled parliament that will approve the budget.

"China has 1.3 billion people, we have a large territory and a long coast line but our defense spending is relatively low compared with other major countries," he added, in comments carried live on state television.

Beijing's public budget is widely thought to undercount real spending on its rapid military modernization, which has unnerved Asian neighbors and drawn repeated calls from Washington for China to share more about its intentions.

The Pentagon's budget, however, still far exceeds the PLA's, something China likes to point out.

"China's defense spending as a share of GDP in 2011 was only 1.28 percent. For the United States, Britain and other countries the figures all exceeded two percent," Li said.

"China's limited military strength is aimed at safeguarding sovereignty, national security and territorial integrity. It will not pose a threat at all to other countries."

Obama has sought to reassure Asian allies that the United States will stay a key player in the area, and the Pentagon has said it will "rebalance toward the Asia-Pacific region."

China has sought to balance long-standing wariness about U.S. moves with a desire for steady relations with Washington, especially as both governments focus on domestic politics this year, when Obama faces a re-election fight and China's ruling Communist Party undergoes a leadership handover.

"Russia unable to win possible war with either NATO or China15.12.2010

Gen. Nikolai Makarov, the chief of the Russian General Staff, stated on December 14 that after two years of reforms the Russian army was fully prepared for showing appropriate reactions to any threats. It became possible owing to the creation of the absolutely new defense structure and the introduction of the new training system for the troops, the official said.

High-readiness forces have been thoroughly provided with weaponry and ammo, whereas the army was supposedly degenerating before, the official added.

Makarov also said that the majority of military schools were training officers on the base of outdated programs and techniques. Many of those programs, the official said, were based on combat experiences of the Great Patriotic War.

Judging upon the statements of the high-ranking defense officials, the previous problems of the Russian army have been solved. Is it really so? Will the Russian army be ready to stand up against a potential enemy? Will the results of the army reforms give Russia an opportunity to show appropriate reactions to possible aggression from NATO members or China?

Pravda.Ru asked expert opinion from military experts.

Konstantin Sivkov, the first vice president of the Academy for Geopolitical Problems:

"Statements claiming that Russian Armed Forces are ready to repulse any attack after the so-called reforms are nothing but nonsense. They are capable of settling a small conflict, in which not more than 100,000 men would need to participate. If there's a larger, local conflict, which requires the participation of up to 500,000 people, then the Russian Armed Forces would not be able to deal with it, not to mention a large-scale war with NATO or China.

"In other words, without the use of nuclear arms, Russia is incapable of reacting to challenges from potential enemies. Those, who believe that the Russian army should be cut, say that we do not need such a large army at all because we have our nuclear weapons. The forces of nuclear containment need to be protected in the air and on the surface. If someone attacks Russia without the use of nuclear arms, Russia will not respond with a nuclear attack either. No country participating in WWII used chemical weapons during the war in spite of the fact that everyone had more than enough of those weapons. No one did that, not even the dying Nazi Germany.

"The same will happen to nuclear weapons. Everyone is very well aware of the fact that using nuclear weapons is similar to committing suicide. Both NATO and China know that Russia will not use its nukes if a non-nuclear war occurs.

"As for the so-called reforms, the combat effectiveness of the Russian army has considerably reduced during the years of those reforms. Many officers resigned not because of the outdated training - they were simply sacked. They tell us today that Stalin "beheaded the Red Army" when he repressed 30,000 out of 800,000 officers. But what is the right word to describe the sacking of 200,000 out of 300,000 officers within two years? No one of them received any apartments, by the way.

"The reforms are over, and what do we see? Officers still do not have the motivation to serve, because they do not have a place to live. The technological base of the army was cut considerably during these two years. Let's take the support system, for example. This system has been handed over to entrepreneurs. This system can function normally only during time of peace. Will businessmen and their subordinates risk their lives to deliver all necessary goods to the battlefield?

"So what does Russia have? China and NATO can oppose Russia with huge armies - 2.5 million men each. Russia has only 85 instant readiness brigades, or 180,000 people deployed on such a vast territory as our country.

"Here is another important aspect - Russian reformers want to purchase foreign arms. One would only have to press a button to deactivate those arms in case an armed conflict with NATO occurs," the expert said.

"For the time being, Russia is capable of showing resistance to such countries as Georgia. Russia will not be able to win a war with China or NATO," Alexander Khramchikhin, deputy director of the Institute of Political and Military Analysis told Pravda.Ru."As for nuclear weapons, NATO is much stronger than Russia, and China's nuclear arsenal will soon be just as powerful as that of Russia. It will not be possible for Russia to conduct offensive operations against NATO members, because the strength of the Russian army has declined considerably.

"As for military hardware, which was supposedly fully provided to high-readiness forces, I have to say that all that hardware is of the Soviet origin. New weapons exist in meager quantities. There are only two divisions of S-400 anti-missile systems, for example, and they do not have long-range missiles, which would make them different from S-300 systems. Where are those highly acclaimed Su-35 fighters, which Russia exports?

"There is another important aspect here. It is an open secret that all recent wars started with massive air strikes against enemies. Russia's air defense is absolutely not ready to face such a threat. It can only protect large centers in the country and that's it. There is not even one single air defense regiment on a huge territory from Irkutsk to Khabarovsk, which is 2,500 kilometers," Khramchikhin said.

NEW DELHI: The symbolic reminder of China's official miliitary budget crossing $100 billion couldn't have come at a worse time for India that is seeing a series of steps to curtail defence spending due to mounting fiscal crisis.

On Sunday, the Chinese government announced that it was raising its defence budget by 11.2% to $106.4 billion (670 billion yuan). Beijing reiterated that it would stick to "peaceful development" and its military allocation was only 1.28% of its GDP.

A senior government source here said that India couldn't afford to be in the arms race with China. "In terms of allocation and pace of modernization, they are far ahead of us. We will have to think of our own ways of military modernization that is suitable for us," he said.

The official said the government has decided not to approve any more defence purchases this fiscal, and has requested the military headquarters to prioritize the procurement because of the strain on defence capital budget. "We have a serious fiscal deficit issue and our committed liabilities are touching 70% of the capital budget," he said.

"We have to be aware of the developments across the border. We have taken decisions to modernize the border with China and improve infrastructure," he said.

"If Chinese GDP grows at the present rate, their defence budget would be almost a quarter of a trillion ($250 billion) by 2016. It will create enormous military capability. Hence, the asymmetry between India and China would grow further in every sphere," says C Uday Bhaskar, a former director of the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA).

If there is any lesson to be drawn from the Chinese military modernization, steadily rising since 1991, it is the "clarity and determination" of its political leadership towards it, he explained. "A complete contrast is visible in India, no political stakeholder seems to have such levels of commitment to national security," Bhaskar added. If the present commitment of China to military modernization persists and India fumbles, New Delhi may lose whatever edge it has even in naval matters in near future.

A senior military officer said it was time India drew some lessons from China. "The quick indigenization that China has undertaken is probably the biggest lesson. Today most of its military equipment is met by the domestic industry," he said.

Another officer said it was time that military became a bigger stakeholder in the national decision-making process to get better attention. "It cannot be that our chiefs keep writing to government seeking their indulgence in getting contracts approved," he added.

In fact, Army chief General VK Singh last week wrote to defence minister AK Antony complaining that the fighting capabilities of the Army has been seriously degraded because of the delays in deciding procurement and other issues."

If China Continues at this rate their budget will reach ~$250 Billion/year by 2020

What Missions would china assume if the budget was increased to that levelcould a larger budget like that mean it would reflect a nation with 3-6 carrier battle groups and SSBNs on deterent patrols, as well as better pay, education, and facilities for its troops

the quality of china's troops, especially with the recession and this possibility of increased in the cost of each soilder could mean china will also implement soilder of the future type of tech

Hopefully it will also reflect china's willingness to give away at either lower cost, or just in aid top notch tech (advanced air defense frigates to Pakistan; 054B, as well as nuclear submarines, so Pakistan can better tie down india)

"The most excellent Jihad is that for the conquest of self." (Bukhari)

"Acquire knowledge, it enables its prosessor to distinguish right from wrong; it lights the way to heaven. It is our friend in thedesert, our company in solitude and companion when friendless. It guides us to happiness, it sustains us in misery, it is an ornament amongst friends and an armor against enemies." (widely attributed to the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh))

"The most excellent Jihad is that for the conquest of self." (Bukhari)

"Acquire knowledge, it enables its prosessor to distinguish right from wrong; it lights the way to heaven. It is our friend in thedesert, our company in solitude and companion when friendless. It guides us to happiness, it sustains us in misery, it is an ornament amongst friends and an armor against enemies." (widely attributed to the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh))

so this could be the chinese lpd projectthere is a dutch design called Enforcer where the lower half gives a commonality for a LHD and a LPD

"The most excellent Jihad is that for the conquest of self." (Bukhari)

"Acquire knowledge, it enables its prosessor to distinguish right from wrong; it lights the way to heaven. It is our friend in thedesert, our company in solitude and companion when friendless. It guides us to happiness, it sustains us in misery, it is an ornament amongst friends and an armor against enemies." (widely attributed to the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh))

"The most excellent Jihad is that for the conquest of self." (Bukhari)

"Acquire knowledge, it enables its prosessor to distinguish right from wrong; it lights the way to heaven. It is our friend in thedesert, our company in solitude and companion when friendless. It guides us to happiness, it sustains us in misery, it is an ornament amongst friends and an armor against enemies." (widely attributed to the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh))

IIRC, there should be one more C (C8) before starting D.
Judging from the long period of testings and repeated sea trial of C3, I can imagine the modifications to the inside have to be significant and very extensive.

A Chinese soldier operates a LLDR during a live-fire air defence exercise in Henan province.

The "LLDR accurately targets enemy positions during the day, at night and in nearly all battlefield conditions including haze, smoke, fog and rain. It provides an unique capability to forward observers....

Using an eye-safe laser wavelength, the system recognizes targets, finds the range to a target, and fixes target locations for laser-guided, GPS-guided, and conventional munitions. This lightweight, interoperable system uniquely provides range finding and targeting information to other digital battlefield systems."

The Terminal Sensing Ammunition (TSA) ejects mini parachutes as it flies over a target zone searching for its mark. (Credit: China Defense Mashup)

China is claiming a "breakthrough" at its Baicheng Weapon Test Center where it develops "Terminal Sensing Ammunition".

This ordnance is especially deadly to troops in tanks or armored personnel carriers, where it times its detonation to go off just outside the hatch for maximum effect.

This kind of weapon is not new to the West, but its development in China says nothing more than the PLA is catching up. Fast.

The PLA Daily, the government-endorsed publication of the People's Liberation Army, reported significant progress in its technology that "senses" a target and deploys a destructive projectile to break through armor, immediately followed by a cluster of sub-projectiles to wipe out whatever the armor was protecting.

J. Michael Cole at the Taipei Times says China's weapon "could prove especially threatening" to Taiwan's military defenses, with the technology capable of making hits as precise as the rooftops of moving armored vehicles.

The two countries have a tense relationship spawned by the mainland's desire for re-unification, in which the modern island of Taiwan has no interest. The U.S. is concerned China will make good on its threat to attack Taiwan if necessary, amid ongoing espionage within the two countries' respective militaries.

Here's how the ammunition works:

The PLA says the weapon has the structure of "cluster sub-munition" which is loaded with smaller projectiles to "deliver strong lethal power" once the target is identified — a double hit designed to eliminate any chance of survival.

The specific aim of the terminal sensing ammunition (TSA) is to "attack the 'head bones'" of a tank, meaning the roof. The first hit of the weapon penetrates the roof, while the simultaneous release of sub-projectiles will effectively wipe out whoever or whatever is inside.

After a demonstration to invited reporters, the PLA worker in charge confirmed that the weapon would produce "a massive amount of fragments to kill personnel and destroy equipment so as to achieve excellent combat performance."

A press release by the Ministry of National Defense indicates local media saw a test launch of China's new smart ammunition technology, which can be fired from cannons or attached to long-range missiles or airborne weapon systems.

The enthusiastic report, translated by the Ministry into English, describes the launch:

The terminal sensing projectile whizzed out in a big bang at the commander's command and flew over the target site when it discharged the terminal sensing sub-projectiles one by one, which ejected mini-parachutes immediately and searched for targets automatically. Each of them hit the target in precision.

The writers of the release say "it is no longer a dream for artillery soldiers to equip the projectile with eyes" —pointing out the ability of the weapon to "eye" its targets and, at the same time, sending a very clear message to the rest of the world that China's military is rapidly waking up to 21st Century capabilities."

----------

"Developed and produced by Textron Defense Systems, the CBU-97 Sensor Fuzed Weapon is a United States Air Force 1,000-pound-class (450 kg) non-guided (freefall) cluster bomb, hence the name CBU (Cluster Bomb Unit).

The CBU-97 consists of an SUU-66/B tactical munition dispenser that contains 10 BLU-108 submunitions. Each submunition contains four hockey-puck-shaped sensor-fused projectiles called Skeets. These detect targets, such as tanks, armored personnel carriers, trucks and other support vehicles, and fire an explosively formed penetrator."

Essentially, the souls of people IS the issue involved that is of greatest urgency to the Galactic Command or Confederation, for this saving of the souls is that which the spiritual forces perceives to be the real purpose and value. The physical body is temporal anyway, and has only a short time on earth, but the soul being permanent, being more or less eternal, is the more important concern. The Draconian and the Orion forces think that by making it appear the soul is just an illusion and that one's body is what counts, they find themselves able to influence people by fear and by coercion, based on bodily needs and preservation. And in this manner they actually capture the souls of entities who are trying to preserve their body and will do so at the cost of their soul"

A normal cluster bomb contains golf ball-sized bomblets. These are effective anti-personnel bomblets, but they are generally ineffective against tanks (which has thick armor).

A Sensor Fused Weapon (SFW) is a "smart" high-tech explosively formed penetrator (EFP) cluster bomb weapon system. Watch the Textron video in post #31 and you will understand. One SFW can destroy an entire column of armor.

Yuan-class SSKs represent the new generation of PLA Navy conventional attack submarines. With AIP technology, a Type 041 Yuan SSK can stay underwater for two to three weeks at a time.

A Song-class diesel-electric submarine can stay underwater for only a few days without recharging its batteries. In contrast, a Yuan-class diesel-electric submarine with AIP can stay underwater for about two to three weeks.

This means the Type 041 Yuan-class submarine is much more stealthy. It avoids detection by lengthening the time between surfacing (when it's most vulnerable to a P-8 Poseidon sub-hunter) to recharge its batteries.

China's air force is expanding the use of flight simulation technology to hone fighter pilots' skills and air battle tactics.

One of the earliest institutes to study flight simulation in China, the Flight Simulation Technology Research Institute of the Air Force is now able to develop simulators of the latest fighter jets that China produces, said Xie Donglai, head of the institute.

Pilots in Harbin, in Heilongjiang province, practice skills in a flight simulator, which can simulate bad weather, engine failure and other special situations. (Tan Chao / for China Daily)

"Flight simulators are playing a more important role in military training around the world," he said.

The United States was the first to use flight simulators to train pilots. The US air force found that an hour's training in a simulator has an effect equal to that of training in a real fighter jet for 0.5 to 0.9 hours.

China's air force began to train fighter pilots with simulators a decade ago.

So far, the institute alone has given at least 70 simulators to the air force and other units, which have provided 15,000 hours of training since 2002, according to the institute.

Guo Lei, director of the institute's simulation training center, said that a number of pilots who flew the first-generation of fighters spent more than 50 days in simulators and made a successful transition to flying third-generation fighters.

Also, the equipment can simulate bad weather, engine failure and other special situations, and teach pilots how to handle them, which training on real fighter jets cannot do, Xie said.

"A fighter plane could cost from tens of millions of yuan to hundreds of millions of yuan. Using fighter jets for special training is unlikely, because people could die and planes could crash, if things are not handled well," he said.

And the special training through a simulator can also prepare fighter pilots to make quicker responses to unexpected situations in real flights.

He recalled that a few years ago, when the navy was equipped with a type of third-generation fighter, a pilot encountered a rare engine failure on the aircraft's first flight.

Fortunately, the previous simulation training had prepared the pilot for such a special situation, and he returned safely.

The simulators also allow airmen to practice shooting missiles, which are so expensive that pilots are reluctant to fire them in real aircraft practice, he said.

Researchers in recent years looked to develop new simulation technologies to prepare pilots for air battles.

In one of the latest developments, the institute has developed a system in which pilots can challenge the world's major fighter jets alone or in joint force.

The system took the institute three years to develop, as airmen previously complained to researchers that the rival jets did not seem real in previous simulators, he said.

The system has been welcomed by pilots and was later awarded a top prize related to military science and technology.